Four Charges Filed Against Driver in Bus Fire That Killed 23

[Free the 115]

9 hours ago, redwood1 said:

 

If the doors had opened very few or nobody would have died....

 

So making sure all buses have exit doors that can ALWAYS be opened should be the first step...

Not saying you are wrong, because I am late to the story, but if the doors didn’t open how did the first dozen get off? just seen a photo of a child who got off and then ran back on to help his two friends. Sadly he doesn’t survive. 
I can certainly understand the driver having a panic attack watching children burn, and to all the amateur Fire fighting experts, unless you have been in that situation and lived, then you have no idea how you are going to react

[Liverpool Lou]

9 hours ago, scott1999 said:

get some flame resistant seats

There is no flame resistant seating fabric that would normally be fitted to that type of vehicle that could survive that intense a fire!

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, Confuscious said:

Amazing how everybody is pointing at the driver, yet nobody is pointing at the REAL CULPRIT.
The bus owner and the Minister of Transport who allows an old dodgy bus to be DANGEROUSLY modified and be on the roads.

Well said.

[Lacrimas]

it's first and foremost the school's responsibility! how do you even send on a school trip kinderarten kids for a distance of 500km are you crazy??

[Lacrimas]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

Well said.

and the school that thought this school trip was a fun idea

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, CM Dad said:

What about the bus owner(s)?  i have found that most buses are are not well-maintained.  

How have you "found that"?

[Confuscious]

29 minutes ago, scott1999 said:

I agree Thailand is a magnificent country with lovely people and the laws are more relaxed. But if you're telling me there should be no rules or laws or safety checks or training to carry 50 plus children and teachers then I will have to disagree with you good luck on your next bus ride. 

 

We are but guests in their beautiful country

I remember a post I did make about "security on the road" and "wearing helmets" and got attacked by a lot of Asoeannow members that they "liked Thailand so much because they were free to drive without helmets and free to clean the floor with all the safety rules in a nanny state".
The death toll of this freedom only a "friendly fire" and fully acceptable by them.
 

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, NicoBKK said:

he was travelling above 100/110 km/h for sure in Bangkok traffic.

He was?   Where did you get that from?

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, connda said:

they should have laws that prosecute anyone who flees from a fatality accident if they were driving. 

They do, that's one of his charges.

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, Lokie said:

Root cause of loss of life being sub standard vehicle safety standards & lack of inspections & enforcement.

Where has that been reported?

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, Lokie said:

Report also said it was an Isuzu truck bed modified with a bus body, had Mercedes Badges front & rear but it was not an MB, it was a Death Trap! 

"...it was an Isuzu truck bed modified with a bus body..."

And where was that specifically reported?   It was originally a bus, built on a chassis, as they all are, powered by an Isuzu engine that was later replaced by a Mercedes diesel converted to NGV.  Having Merc badges means nothing and certainly doesn't make it a death trap in the normal course of events.

[Liverpool Lou]

27 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

and the school that thought this school trip was a fun idea

What has the school got to do with this accident?

[soi3eddie]

9 hours ago, kuzmabruk said:

The owner is responsible and should suffer the same fate

 

In some countries, the owner/operator of the bus company would possibly be facing a charge of corporate manslaughter. Unlikely in Thailand as many business operators are "influential people".

 

[khaowong1]

In the US, he would have 23 charges of involuntary manslaughter.  He's getting off lucky. 

Edited October 2 by khaowong1

[terryofcrete]

Wow... The Assembly of Aseannow Investigators are in full swing here ! 
 

[gk10012001]

Just ran away instead of helping.  Was plenty of time to open the rear door, the roof top hatch which I assume was there.  Push out the side emergency windows which the kids probably had no idea they could do or were too small or weak to do.

[gk10012001]

1 hour ago, Lacrimas said:

it's first and foremost the school's responsibility! how do you even send on a school trip kinderarten kids for a distance of 500km are you crazy??

Was it really that long a trip?  Gosh.  And all those kids were unattended with no adult chaperone accompanying them on the bus? 

[gk10012001]

11 hours ago, scott1999 said:

The very first job of any driver is to check the emergency doors before the customers enter the vehicle. Having held  PSV license which was replaced by the Operator’s License (O-Licence) Which then became the PCV. 

As I said on my Facebook post

(Just to add to this video as a driver I would rather have died in the fire trying to save the children there is just no chance that I could have left anyone on that bus, impossible)

 

Any driver worth their salts would never leave the children on the bus they would get them off first, before trying to put the fire out. 

The things that surprised me the most about these buses and coaches are the paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling flammable flags plastic fans other ridiculous mementoes it make the Vehicle a tinderbox. 

 

Here's an idea instead of spending 300,000 on a respray with cartoon characters on the outside buy some new tires get some flame resistant seats train your drivers what to do in an emergency and have a government agency come on a regular basis to check the vehicles.

 

 

 

 

Interesting note about flammables.  Remember Apollo 1 fire on the launch pad.  Three dead

[paulikens]

The Thai mentality towards road safety/accidents is it's just something that may happen it's up to buddha. They don't understand the concept that some accidents are preventable.  it's their mindset on accidents.  Will be very hard to change that way of thinking.  

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What has the school got to do with this accident?

The school chose the bus company.

A company with a 54y.o. bus, illegally fitted with 11 gas tanks.

[Lorry]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

There is no flame resistant seating fabric that would normally be fitted to that type of vehicle that could survive that intense a fire!

I have heard this, too.

Do you actually know this?

[BangkokReady]

11 hours ago, redwood1 said:

So making sure all buses have exit doors that can ALWAYS be opened should be the first step...

 

I'm surprised a Merc bus didn't have emergency exits.  I'm pretty sure the busses on the UK have exits on both sides and one at the back.

[degrub]

This was a 50 odd year old bus with an engine that was replaced with a mercedes engine. Safety standards would have been different back then.

[Stargeezr]

Did the driver even try to open all the doors on the bus, if not he should be held liable, as well as the bus company.

 Just running away is cowardly.

[degrub]

If this was a lpg or propane jet fire, the flame temperature is around 2,000 C. The other combustibles in the bus should be much lower. 

[LetsGoJoe]

14 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

The whole thing is just very sad. Those poor mites.

Making the bus driver the sacrificial lamb will not add anything.

It is just a distraction to pretend that something is being done.

That poor "sacrificial lamb" will have to live with the thought of how many kids lives he could of saved if he had used the fire extinguisher and opened the emergency exits, but instead he run-off like a dog with it's tail between it's legs.

[Liverpool Lou]

15 hours ago, Lorry said:

17 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What has the school got to do with this accident?

The school chose the bus company.

A company with a 54y.o. bus, illegally fitted with 11 gas tanks.

Is the school expected to have to conduct technical examinations of each bus owned by a, presumably, reputed transport company and also check the licencing details through the government?  

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

presumably, reputed transport company

What makes you think this was a reputable company?

Thais usually know very well which company is reputable (eg Nakhonchair Air)

and which isn't (it is against forum rules to give an example)

[nauseus]

On 10/2/2024 at 9:04 AM, newbee2022 said:

Or his mobile phone...

 

Why the glib comments on this sad topic?

[Liverpool Lou]

12 minutes ago, Lorry said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

presumably, reputed transport company

What makes you think this was a reputable company?

 

I didn't say that was what I thought, I said that was, presumably, what the school thought.